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Year 1, Issue 6

**************************************************************************** * ^^^^^^^^^ ^ ^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^ ^ ^^^^^^^ * ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ * ^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^ ^ ^ ^^^^^^^ * ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ * ^ ^ ^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^ * The unofficial electronic publication of the David Cup/McIlroycompetition.* Editors: Allison Wells, Jeff Wells* Script Writer: Jeff Wells*****************************************************************************"BO-ring! BO-ring! BO-ring!" Like a basketball team that wastes the clockas a stall tactic to victory, the editors of The Cup have been subjected tothis same incessant sing-song from birders protesting the way the mightyBasin handled the David Cup competition in June. Cuppers seemed to haveforgotten that WE weren't the ones fiddling and diddling. Heck, we weren'teven the referees! We are, in fact, merely humble scribes reporting on theaction. True, our jobs were a little easier this month, despite CoachKelling's valiant attempt to keep his team on the offensive and to maintainCupper morale. Truth is, birding in June was like, well, for us reporters,it was like getting the scoop on the latest round of the PGA after coveringthe NBA finals.

Keep in mind, though, that hundreds, thousands--millions?--read all abouttheir beloved golf tournaments as soon as the stats hit the stands. Youshould be no less faithful to the David Cup competition by devouring The Cup1.6 now that it's in all the smoke shops. True, there weren't a lot of"hole-in-one" rarities, and a good many of us already have our eagles, butat least by reading this issue of The Cup you'll know how many have made itto the green and are perfectly positioned for a good birdy!

@ @ @ @ @ @ NEWS, CUES, and BLUES @ @ @ @ @ @

WELCOME TO THE DAVID CUP CLAN: It looked good for Anne Kendall-Casella for awhile--the David Cup hung before her like a sweet, juicy apple, ripe andready for the plucking. But her hungry palm stopped short. (Perhaps shemistook Dear Tick for a worm?) And Marty Schlabach, while tiptoingskillfully around the rim, nearly lost his balance and fell butt-over-binsinto the David Cup. In the end, it was the editors very own niece, SarahChilds, visiting from Winthrop, Maine, for the next few weeks, who said, "Imay be cuckoo but at least I'm not chicken!" (The threat of having to sleepout on the fire escape every night of her visit had nothing to do with it.)So, should you see a sharp-scoping thirteen-year-old scanning the SavannahMucklands with Allison, Jeff, and Casey Sutton, be sure to welcome her tothe David Cup, and to point out any Northern Lapwings that may be there.

SPIES T: Many of you are aware that Martha Fischer took on the role ofAssistant Coach for the David Cup in June (see Cup Quotes, this issue). Youprobably aren't aware of just how seriously she took this job. According toour sources, Martha, while wearing her David Cup T one day at Cass Parkthis past month, became slain by the spirit and began soliciting prospectiveCuppers who were wasting their time jockeying about on a tennis court. Shewas overheard orating on the dangers of tennis elbow to future Cuppingpossibilities. Our sources tell us that Martha's argument was verypersuasive; after the first few naysayers found themselves belly floppinginto the kiddie pool, the others were scrambling for her every word.Although none have officially signed up yet, we expect the phones here atCup Headquarters to be ringing off the hook anytime now.

TICKS COUNT: "The number of ticks...is expected to be especially high thisyear," scientists were quoted as saying in an article that ran in the IthacaJournal in June. People like Andrew Spielman of the Harvard School ofPublic Health in Boston claim that this is because of an unusually highpopulation of infected mice in the northeast. However, if the reporter hadbeen up to snuff, he would have found that the real reason for the increasein ticks is due to the David Cup/McIlroy competitions, which has led toCuppers ticking day and night, all over the Basin. We can only assume thatDr. David Persing of the Mayo Clinic was referring to Karl David's, BillEvans', Adam Byrne's, and Ned Brinkley's pre-David Cup ticking expeditionswhen he announced, "The last couple of years have been a real eye-opener.This has been occurring as an undercurrent longer than we realize."

THE HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTEST?: Once again, it's the goody-goody gabfesthosts that are getting national face time. First, it's Ann Landers onDateline, now it's Marilyn Vos Savant squeaking into Reader's Digest--but atleast this time the face ain't so pretty. Vos Savant was once listed in theGuinness Book of World Records as having the highest measured I.Q. and as aresult gets to flaunt her alleged intelligence in a question-answer columnfor Parade magazine. Well, the Digest dug up some questions that leftbright star in the dark. To show Cuppers how good they've got it (and torub it in to Parade magazine that The Cup's got the real genius), we'veasked our own Dear Tick to respond to a few of the toughest stumpers:

Q: If you melt dry ice, can you swim in it without getting wet? DT: Try it and see. Q: Do fish have necks? DT: Do Long-billed Green Sunbirds have lips? Q: Is there any significant reason for having gums? DT: No. Q: Why do cockroaches turn over onto their backs when they die? DT: Because it's in the script.

OLYMPIC-SIZED SNUB: For the last few months, the David Cup committee waitedexpectantly by the phones for the call from Atlanta, telling us that theDavid Cup/McIlroy competitions would be official Olympic sporting events.The call never came. So what'll the world do when they tune in for somereal pulse-jolting, neck-and-neck competition and all they get is themamby-pamby Dream Team lallygagging around a basketball court? Suffice tosay that in another four years, it won't be Michael Jordan and his ho-humsame-old same-old they'll be watching on the tube but rather Karl Davidtriathaloning (rowing the length of Cayuga Lake, mountaineering the sheerface of the Biosphere Preserve, then hightailing it through the trails ofSapsucker Woods) across the Basin. Expect to see Karl, not Michael,standing proudly on the highest riser, a pair of gold Elites around hisneck. After all, Michael may own the court, but have you ever heard of theJordan Cup?

BIRD CUP BLUES: Three days of nonstop blues! Fifteen different bands,including CJ Chenier, Mississippi Heat, and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown!Eight thousand tickets sold! We're talking the North Atlantic BluesFestival...in Rockland, Maine. Too bad. Well, pity the editors most ofall. They were, after all, visiting their native Maine during the big blueschabang. So close and yet so far. The best they could muster was anunnamed blues band jamming beneath them while they partook of lobsters andsteamers and sipped white zinfandel on the deck of a pleasant restaurantoverlooking rustic New Harbor. Poor things.

By the way, since many of you have inquired about upcoming performances ofthe Cupper-heavy Ithaca Ageless Jazz Band (Jeff and Allison Wells and JimLowe are all members), which is respectably into the blues for a 20-piecebig band, we've obliged by noting here several fast-approaching public gigs:the Watkins Glen Arts & Crafts Festival on July 20 (12:30pm to 2:30), Alta BDay at Wagner Winery's Ginny Lee Cafe on July 21 (1:00pm-5:00), Speedie Festand Balloon Rally at Tricities Airport in Endicott on July 27(11:00am-12:30), and at Taughannock Park August 3 (7:30pm-9:30). E-mail anyof us for more info. See ya there!

:> :> :> :> :> :> :> :> :> :> :> :> :> :> :> :> :> :> :>Yes, there were highlights in June. No razzle-dazzle bingo birds like we'vehad in months past, but hey, it's June, time to smell the roses (i.e., getto know your family again). We hope you took the long way home. Bins intow, of course.

BASIN BIRD HIGHLIGHTS by Steve Kelling (Correction: Jeff Wells. Wefound Steve in a deep, summer slumber and couldn't wake him in time for himto write up his column.)

Migrants, especially northern breeders, continued to trickle in over thetransom of early June, with species like Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Gray-cheekedThrush, and Swainson's Thrush being heard nocturnally. An unusually late1st summer Iceland Gull put in an appearance at Myer's Point on June 2, andSemipalmated Plover, Dunlin, and White-rumped Sandpiper lingered into thesecond week of June at Montezuema. But it is, of course, the breedingspecies that we focus on in June. Happy news was Bard Prentiss' discoveryof a colony of Cliff Swallows, which have in recent years almost disappearedas breeders in the Basin. Bard found the colony nesting on a barn inFreeville. Another species that is essentially gone from the Basin as abreeder is Upland Sandpiper. This year a pair set up residence in a fieldcomplex in Etna, though breeding was not confirmed. Acadian Flycatcherswere found in at least 3 locations, the most obliging being the pair onSalmon Creek Road. Orchard Orioles were in residence not only at thetraditional Sheldrake location but also in at least 3 locations on the eastside of Cayuga Lake. The Prothonotary Warbler that appeared in May atStewart Park continued singing vigorously into June, raising hopes that itwould find a mate and breed but it was not to be--the bird was gone by theJune 15 summer count. More difficult to get to were the approximately 5-6territorial Worm-eating Warblers along the ridges of West Danby, located byChris Hymes and Steve Kelling. Chris was able to confirm breeding in atleast one pair in the Biodiversity Preserve. Several sites in the Basinheld breeding populations of Cerulean Warblers and Henslow's Sparrows. Bothspecies have been identified by Partners In Flight and the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service as species of management concern. The Salmon Creek locationthat harbored the Acadian Flycatcher hosted at least 7 singing CeruleanWarblers and good numbers were noted at several sites within Montezuema NWR.Finally, the Henslow's Sparrows on Caswell Road in Freeville numbered aminimum of 5-7 singing males

(Steve Kelling is the field notes editor for the Kingbird, Region 3. Heteaches Cornell undergraduates the mysteries of physics and often callsfellow Cuppers to make sure they're still alive, even when he's less sohimself. Jeff Wells is New York State Important Bird Areas Coordinator forNational Audubon Society. He learned just how out of shape he is whilechasing the nimble Chris Hymes' Worm-eating Warblers at the BiospherePreserve.)

"Wow, this is some hopping place, huh?" "Good food, good friends, and nowthat we've fired the DJ and Kevin McGowan's taken over the turntable withhis inexhaustible blues collection, good music!" "I'll say! And it givesme a warm feeling to know that every Cupper has made it into the Club.""Yeah. We're all just one big, happy--wait a minute. Where's Tom Lathrop?""Hmm. I thought I saw him at the bar, exchanging bird travel tales withMeena Haribal--no, that was Ralph Paonessa. Gosh. I guess Tom's not in theClub." "Not in the Club?! But any birder who's any birder is in the 100Club!" "Poor Tom. He lives in Rochester, you know, WAY outside the Basin.""Poor Tom." "Do you think he'll EVER make it in?" "I don't know. I justdon't know."

200 200 200 200 200 200 2 0 0 200 200 200 200

"We hear ya knockin' but ya can't come in!" That's the song that's beenwearing out the sound system over at the 200 Club. Yes, Clubbers there arerubbing it in to those Cuppers lined up outside to get in. Cuppers like JayMcGowan, Ralph Paonessa, Casey Sutton, Bill Evans. Word has it, Ralph is sodesperate to crash the 200 Club party that he tried to get his new pet,Pete-Pete the Polar Bear, to knock down the door. Since Pete-Pete is stilljust a cub, his attack merely knocked off the door knob, making it that muchharder for Cuppers to get in. Which is why, we assume, no Cuppers gainedentry in June. We can only hope Ralph gets the door knob replaced by theend of July.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< PILGRIMS' PROGRESS >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Getting Cuppers to confess their June totals was no easy task. Embarrassed,no doubt, by their minimal progress--indeed, one can hardly call them"Pilgrims"--several downright refused to send in their tick tallies. Ofcourse, they were in South America, Massachusetts, and elsewhere out ofstate, but The Cup accepts no excuses.

Welcome to the David Cup Leader's List Gallery. Thanks to an extension ofher grant by her generous sponsor, this month the gallery will again featurethe artful list of Allison Wells. For your viewing convenience, she onlyslightly expanded her list from last month. And again, Ms. Wells gave usthe honor of marking her McIlroy birds with that thought-provoking "M".With any luck, Ms. Wells list will be on display next month as well.Meanwhile, enjoy your visit.

What better way to prove that history doesn't necessarily repeat itselfthanby being featured in an interview exclusively for The Cup--two months in arow?! KICKIN' TAIL brings well-deserved honor and recognition to the Cupperwho has glassed, scoped, scanned, driven, climbed, dug, sun bathed, andotherwise made his/her way to the top of the David Cup list.

Much to my chagrin, the editors got their grubby paws on the audio tape ofmy last session with my psychotherapist, Dr. Birding N. Lovinit. Ratherthan sue, I decided to go ahead and let them run it here, as a way ofproving that being the Kickin' Tail Queen is not unlike being a supermodel:life isn't ALL glamour and glory.

DR. LOVINIT: Now, tell me how you've been doing this week.

WELLS: Well, I just found out that I'm the Kickin' Tail Leader again thismonth.

DR. LOVINIT: Congratulations. That's something to feel good about.

WELLS: I...guess.

DR. LOVINIT: Is there some reason why you wouldn't be pleased?

WELLS: I don't know. I think I may be having trouble getting in touch withmy true feelings. I thought I'd be really happy about winning but I'm notand I don't know why.

DR. LOVINIT: Hmm. Let me see. You must be the middle child.

WELLS: Yes.

DR. LOVINIT: And, have you had any dreams involving stampeding elephants andtalking birds?

DR. LOVINIT: Mmm hmm, just as I suspected. You're transferring yourdeep-seated, long-lived guilt for helping someone cheat on a test to yourtrouncing of the big boys in the David Cup race. Now that you've freelyadmitted your eighth-grade wrong doing, you can focus again on your feelingsabout staying in the lead.

WELLS: You're right, Doctor! I feel better already! Ha! Those poor foolsdon't stand a chance, and I don't feel guilty about it in the slightest. Infact, I feel confident that I'll be ahead next month, too. But, Doctor, iffor some reason I'm not...

DR. LOVINIT: Yes?

WELLS: I may need an extra session. Can you give me a birder discount?

The editors of The Cup, through statistically significant birding polls andby snooping through Cupper diaries, have determined that recognition is inorder for the Cupper who has braved wind, rain, ice, and snow in a quest fornew David Cup birds for us all to enjoy. Equally weighty in this awardcategory is prompt notification to other Cuppers of said sightings, be itvia e-mail, phone line, dramatic hand signals, or bathroom graffiti.

We, the editors of The Cup, hereby bestow June's Pioneer Prize to ChrisHymes. Chris put the little town of West Danby on the birding map byturning up not one pair of breeding Worm-eating Warblers in the area butfour! Having hiked ("bellied-up," seems a more accurate term) the almostimpossibly steep slopes of the Biosphere Preserve ourselves, we appreciatethe determination (and foolhardiness requisite for any true pioneer) Chrisembodied in order to locate those birds. Further, he generously ensuredthat any who wanted to accompany him on his survey had that opportunity,even though it meant single-handedly hauling Scott Mardis up on a pulley andclearing a big enough splotch for Steve Kelling to land his hang glider.Chris, your (second!) David Cup Pioneer Pencil awaits!

: > : > : > : > : > :> : >CASEY'S CALL: > : > : > : > : > :> : >

There was rugged competition this month, with breeding Worm-eating Warblersin West Danby, breeding Orchard Orioles at Sheldrake, Myer's Point, andSalmon Creek, breeding Acadian Flycatchers near Salmon Creek, a brilliantsparkle from a Prothonotary Warbler, and an improbable summer visit from anIceland Gull. But the bird Cuppers had to work their butts off most for wasthe Prothonotary Warbler. The singing bird, found by Allison and JeffWells, hung out in the Cajun swamp wannabee of Stewart Park. The thing thatmade this bird a dandy was that it was a McIlroy Can't Missum. The male ofthe species, which is what everybody saw besides me, is yellow-orange withblue-gray wings. The female appears similar but duller. Fortunately forme, I still heard its song, although it was disappointing not to see thebird. The song is a ringing sweet-sweet-sweet-sweet. The flight songresembles a canary's song, and the call is a metallic "chip." ProthonotaryWarblers lay 6 white eggs with purple spots. The most common nesting spotis a hole in a tree or stump, but they will also nest in a mailbox orbirdhouse. They breed as far south as central Florida, as far north assouthern Michigan, as far west as central Texas, and as far east as the eastcoast. The wintering range is the tropics of Central America and northernSouth America.

(Casey Sutton, who initiated and writes this column on his own, will be aseventh grader this fall at DeWitt Middle School. He has a mean 3-pointshot and made 9 out of 10 foul shots during basketball camp in June.)

I have always wondered what it would be like to be a Cupper. Now that Iwill be spending a few weeks in Ithaca, I actually get to find out. I wantto tell you what it is like, whether you want to hear it or not (I am tryingto keep this piece in traditional Cup fashion). First of all, I want to saythat whenever my grandmother is around, keep your precious David Cupanythings out of her reach. She tried to keep me from the honors of The Cupby shrinking to minimal size my David Cup T. However, after many minutes ofstretching, it is nearly back to its original size. Who knows what she willdo to my bird lists when I get back to Maine?

Back to the program. I wanted to be a Cupper because I have always foundbirds interesting, and since nobody in Maine has thought long enough tostart something like this, all us bird admirers have to suffer. Plus thefact that my aunt and uncle (to you it's Allison and Jeff) wouldn't take nofor a suitable answer, I must do this. Besides, I DID, after all, spendhours birding as a little kid, so who knows? Maybe I'll remember threespecies.

It feels kind of weird just being thrown into this big thing all of asudden, in almost the middle of the month. I know that I probably won'teven make the 100 Club. But I already have how many? Let me see. 1-2-3?Oh, no. I forgot, it's four. Well, gotta go to where the bird calls. I'llsee YOU in the David Cup races.

(Sarah Childs will be in the eighth grade at Winthrop Middle School inWinthrop, Maine, in the fall. Despite what her aunt and uncle say, sheinsists that she will not go on any roller coasters this summer.)

If you have an opinion about the art, science, and/or esthetics ofbirding orbirding-related topics, write it up for the Scrawl of Fame.

You're no doubt wondering why we waited till now to bring Karl David intothe coaching game. He is, after all, the "David" in David Cup. Well, withJuly being possibly the hottest month of the year temperature-wise and oneof the coolest bird-wise, we knew Cuppers would need a coach who couldsympathize with them, someone who's been there before and can lend anurturing hand, a coach who's not afraid to say, "Mardis, how could you havemissed that Wilson's Warbler at Mundy?! The bird practically flew up yournose!"

COACH DAVID: June 30...back to the locker room for a short halftime breatherbefore Coach yells at you for all your mistakes in the first half andtries tofire you up for the second by screaming platitudinous exhortationsjust inches from your ear: "Mardis, how could you have missed thatWilson's Warbler at Mundy? The bird practically flew up your nose! And you,Rosenberg! Maybe you think your fly-by Whimbrel at dusk will help yourenegotiate your contract, but what good does it do for the rest of theteam? Nix--Tom, Tom, Tom ... walking up the steps of City Hall with yourhead down, just as a Merlin was approaching! What's with you guys?" Blah,blah, blah.

Yes, the opening of the second half is a tough time in thecompetition, believe me. Last year, after more or less finishing my springclean-up on June 10 with Acadian Flycatcher, my next yearbirdwas an overdue back-ordered Sora on June 30, and then nothingwhatsoever until Great Egret finally showed up at Montezuma on July31. So, what should you do this month to avoid total frustration?

Well, it depends on what you need. If there's still a missingwarbler or two that's known to be around, go for it. If a blank onyour checklist besides a rail or bittern still grates, try drivingthe auto tour route at Montezuma very slowly and very early. As themonth progresses, these birds tend more and more to be sitting out inthe open, as the stress and strain of raising young begins to liftfor them. But don't bother in the heat of midday, the place isgenerally stultifyingly dead then.

Another thing you can do is explore new areas under the guise of goingfor a walk or a jog, perhaps with a nonbirding spouse, partner orfriend, someone who feels like you've been sorely neglecting thembecause of the competition. You'll score needed points with them,but you'll be carrying your binoculars "just in case" and will haveyour ears open. After all, if your normal rounds haven't yielded upa Sedge Wren or Dickcissel yet, they probably won't, so your onlychance is to go somewhere you haven't been.

As I suggested above, most of us still need Great Egret, and itsarrival usually heralds the beginning of fall migration. Theearliest I've had it is July 6, an unforgettable sight, as threebirds flew across the Thruway at Montezuma, backlit by the lightningflashes of an approaching thunderstorm. However, that wasexceptional. The last week of July (and alas, sometimes the first weekof August) is more typical. This is a nice bird tostart the fall with since it's big, spectacular and hard to miss ifit's there.

Shorebirds also begin arriving in July. Here, it depends on what youstill need. Leasts and the Yellowlegs tend to show up first, oftenas early as the Fourth of July. The year Ned, Adam, Bill and I foundthat year's Prothonotary Warbler at a nest on Armitage Road, we hadLesser Yellowlegs as well, and it wasn't even quite the end of June yet. Pectorals and Short-billed Dowitchers also show up sometime in July. And though the data is perforce spotty because of the bird's rarity,there's some indication that late July is as likely a time as any tofind Whimbrel.

In any event, if you spend most of the month resting, with a fewjudicious trips to M.N.W.R. or Myer's Point for shorebirds, youshould pick up a year bird or two ... just enough to get you psychedfor the great shorebird bonanza of August and September. Here'shoping for an early drawdown at the Refuge. See you then, at the"Corral"!

(Karl David teaches mathematics at Wells College and is widely known as theFather of the Madness. He can often be seen wandering Star Stanton road,demanding repeatedly, "Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all?" late intothe night.)

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm McILROY MUSINGS mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmm

Ode to Allison by Jeffrey Wells

There once was a woman from Ithaca Who was one hell of a tickeruh She counted them all then said "What a ball!" Until her spouse cried, "I'm sick a' hurh."

[Poet's note: imagine last line with a Long Island accent]

(If Allison is ahead next month, be forewarned that I will be solicitingYOURlimericks on this dastardly subject. I may even give a personalized DavidCup Pencil to the limerick I like best--don't tell Allison! You don't evenhave to be a Cupper, merely a Cup subscriber, to enter.)

The David Cup glass ceiling was blown to bits when Allison Wells kicked itin as Leader. Now we're using that same glass to showcase another femmefatale, Meena Haribal.

Although Meena's been a birder for eighteen years, it's nothing short of amiracle that Meena Haribal is a Cupper today. You see, she doesn't know howshe got interested in birds. "As far as I know none of my family memberswere or are interested in birds." Gasp! "Maybe it was innate geneticinheritance from some distant ancestor." That's better. "Also I rememberreading a phantom comic when I was in school and in that a professor and hisstudent go into Denkali jungles to search for some extinct animal. I feltat that time I should also go to these places and look for wildlife."

She has certainly done that. Although Meena is from India (home to about2000 species and subspecies of birds), she has by no means confined herbirding to that country. England, France, Nepal, and Costa Rica are amongthe other places Meena has visited with her bins. Obviously, she's spentconsiderable time birding in the U. S as well (she says she particularlyenjoyed birding in Texas and Florida, though we have no idea why, what withthe Basin right here in Upstate New York.)

Birds aren't the only wildlife she pursues. Meena is a bug watcher byprofession. "I study how they (mostly butterflies) recognize their host andhow they decide on which plants to lay their eggs. I correlate this withthe chemistry of the plant." Meena admits that she is fortunate to combineher hobby with her profession. "My butterflies wake up as late as around10am and sleep by late afternoon, like 4;30pm, so all the remaining time Ican bird."

It was this work that brought Meena to Ithaca (Cornell University), and shehas adjusted very well. "Ithaca to me is like my dream place, where myprofessional and personal interests are being fulfilled. But," she says, "Imiss my country, the bugs and the birds. Whenever anybody visits here fromIndia, I tell them to say hi to my bugs and birds!"

Birding here in Ithaca, she says, is very different than in India. "Therewere no heavy competitions in India, although [birders there] are interestedin seeing rare birds and reporting them. It was more leisurely. Besides,we do not have good guides and bird call tapes, so we have to learn themourselves in the field. I was fortunate, for I belonged to Bombay NaturalHistory Society and my gurus were all expert in the field of naturalhistory. Also, we have one of the best collections of Indian birds in thewhole world, so if I had questions regarding ID, I would just go to thecurator and he would show me all possible birds and plumages. That's how Ilearned about variations in birds and habits, etc."

She's been fostering this same thirst for birding knowledge here in Ithaca,and one way was by signing up for the David Cup. "I thought it would be agood way to get to bird with some experts, so I could learn from them. Ialso thought it would be fun and would get me out birding." So far, sogood, though she laments that she has not seen Common Redpoll yet in theBasin. She would also like to see Henslow Sparrow, which, as yet, she hasonly heard.

Just the same, she has an impressive life list totaling more than 1000birds. Of all the birds of the world that she has seen, Atlantic Puffin isat the top of the list of favorites. "The first book on birds that I readwas Birds of Britain by Francis Pitt--I read the whole book in two days. Iloved the part on puffins. That night, in fact, I dreamed that lots ofpuffins were sitting along my college campus road." About three years ago,she says, during her trip to England, she made a special trip to BemptonCliffs to see puffins, which left a memorable enough impression on her thatshe now would like to travel both U.S. coasts to see puffins.

Meena spends about three or four weekday hours per week birding, and hasbeen known to spend whole weekends birding during migration. Of course,some of this time is also spent studying her beloved butterflies, whichmeans she's not a TOTAL birdbrain. But, hey, she's close enough for us.

Because birders suffer so many unique trials and tribulations--and with theadded strain of intense competition brought on by the David Cup/McIlroyAward--The Cup has graciously provided Cuppers with a kind, sensitive andintuitive columnist, Dear Tick, to answer even the most profound questions,like these...

DEAR TICK:

Last month there was mention of the Wells' niece becoming a temporary Cupperwhen she comes for her summer visit. This got me thinking. In baseball,there are pinch hitters--players who go to bat for other players for variousreasons. Can't we have pinch Cuppers? For example, when this temporaryCupper returns to her homeland, can someone pinch-bird for her here in theBasin?

--Batter Up in Ithaca

Dear Batter Up:

Baseball players make millions of dollars--even pinch hitters. Is thistemporary Cupper prepared to pay a fellow Cupper big bucks to pinch bird?Then there is the matter of arbitration. Is the would-be pinch Cupper afree agent? Is s/he willing to go on strike, even if it means giving up anentire birding season and disappointing the millions who "watch" thecompetitions via The Cup? Who, pray tell, will draw up the contracts?Cuppers--even the ever dutiful Jim Lowe--can't be expected to give upvaluable birding time bogged down in the "wherefores" and "therefores" ofvast legal documents. As self-appointed David Cup Commissioner, given thehavoc the baseball strike caused the entire nation a few years back, I'mruling against your petition for pinch birders.

DEAR TICK:

I think the rows of shoes, owls and bins [at the bottom of the David CupT--I'mwearing mine as I type this] prophesize that the winner will be the one whowears out six sets of shoes trekking around the Basin. The winner shallsearch and find all eight species of owls (which are, of course, GreatHorned, Screech, Barred, Saw-whet, Long-Eared, Short-Eared, Snowy and Barn).The winner owns three pairs of bins: for the home (feeder), for the office(lunch hour musings) and for the car. Am I right? Do I get more David Cuppencils for solving this hieroglyphic mystery?

--Rumenating in Rochester

Dear Rumenating:

No, you're wrong. You may try again, but you should know that it will costyou one tick for every wrong guess from here on in. As for getting moreDavid Cup pencils, I believe it was Alice, sitting at the Madhatter's teaparty, who said, "I can't very well have more tea when I haven't had any atall." Now spit out that cud and move on to greener pastures--it's not toolate to earn yourself a David Cup pencil.

DEAR TICK:

Do we have to pay any late fee for sending in totals late?

--Penniless near PennyLane

Dear Penniless:

Yes, you do have to pay, but not in cash. You pay by having to live withthe guilt of having held up production of The Cup. But let me say this: ifthe Domino's delivery boy arrives at your door with twelve large pizzas withextra cheese and anchovies, I had nothing to do with it.

DEAR TICK:

I was out birding a few months ago with some fellow Cuppers. We were in hotpursuit of a Lincoln's Sparrow. At one point, two of my pals and I finallytracked it down and had tickable views of the bird. But one of the Cupperswas on the other side of some brush so his/her view was obstructed.However, s/he could clearly see the bird's reflection in some water in frontof the brush. S/he saw the buffy breast, the grayish face, the fine breaststreaks--everything the rest of us were seeing, only his/her view was areflection instead of the bird itself. Can s/he tick it?

--Reflecting in Romulus

Dear Reflecting:

I'm sorry, no. In fact, I'm inclined to tell you all to erase your tick,too. I'm very suspicious that the narcissistic Lincoln's Sparrow wasn't abird at all but rather, Fabio in disguise, trying to cash in on a littleDavid Cup adoration. Next time you see a bird admiring itself in puddlesthe way this one apparently did, don't be so quick to assume it's the realthing.

DEAR TICK:

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark!! Or, at least in theMcIlroy Award boundaries. About two months ago there was a "big stink"about the boundaries when a certain participant was able to tick offa couple of shorebirds due to "peculiarities" in the actual boundaries.The participant made the mistake of bragging about this to Cayugabirds-l.There followed a storm of postings and complaints, several lame excusesfrom the McIlroy Boundary Committee. Now, everything has pretty muchsettled down. But there are disturbing parallels between what hashappened here and the standard operating procedure of most governments. Ihate to be a conspiracy monger, but if you follow me through the "lookingglass" for a few minutes, I'm sure you'll understand the depth of theproblems.

The McIlroy Boundry Committee, to my knowledge, consists of twoamiable Lab of O researchers that everyone thinks of as pretty decenthuman beings. As far as most of us know, these guys would never havesome hidden agenda or make decisions in an arbitrary manner (much lessengage in cronyism, etc.). This is why the excuses offered to the listwere so readily accepted--the odd boundaries, which were finally be-coming public knowledge, would work in favor of "everyone". Well, DT,they've been playing us for fools! The only reason that the boundariesare now public knowledge is that the Cupper who made the shorebird coupwas crazy enough to brag about it in public. This is often the downfallof those who try to take advantage of the rest of us. I recently came intopossession of a "smoking gun". It seems that back in 1991, one of the MBCmembers and a certain cup participant worked together on a Fish Crowproject.As usual, there was a paper trail to follow... I have a photocopy of ajournalarticle with their names on it! That past relationship, in and of itself, iscertainly no breach of ethics. However, the co-author just so happens to bethe one who benefited from the boundry irregularities! Why wasn't this closepast relation-ship acknowledged? What were they trying to hide? Just whatelse are theyhiding? If this comes out in the open, what do you bet that the secondMBC member, let's call him "Slim", takes the heat? The abusers of thesystem always have a "patsy" to take the fall! DT, I know this isopening up acan of worms, but if anyone can get to the bottom of Boundarygate, you can.I just hope they haven't gotten to you yet... --"Oliver S." in Hollywood

P.S. That's not my real name!

Dear "Oliver S.":

Sure it's not your real name. You think I don't know who you are? Huh!You're right, I am in the know about this whole McIlroy conspiracy, but ifyou think I'm going to spill the beans in the pages of The Cup so you cango and make yourself another little movie, well, don't get the camerasrolling just yet. Unless, of course, you're willing to fork over big moneyfor the rights, and I don't mean the spare change you paid for "JFK". Ifyou get you're wallet walkin', then maybe I'll do some talkin'.

(Send your questions for Dear Tick to The Cup, care of Jeff's e-mail.)

""""""""" CUP QUOTES """"""""

"This is THE BEST CUP EVER--it runneth over..."

--Ned Brinkley (after perusing The Cup 1.5)

"While Jay and I were doing our Lansing portion of the Christmas in Junecount, we found a singing Yellow-breasted Chat on Cherry Roadnorthwest of the airport...Unfortunately, 3 subsequent visists (2 in lateafternoon, 1 this morning) were entirely chat-less."

"All is sweetness and light again, as I heard the Salmon Creek AcadianFlycatcher yesterday afternoon, just before Chris Hymes showed up toalso log it in."

--Karl David

"I'm up to a whopping 74 birds for my David Cup list as of the end of June.But watch out, Allison! I've got 19 new species for July already. I'mgaining on you!"

--Tom Lathrop

"To confirm the rumor: The lonely male Prothonotary Warbler was stilleasily heard and seen along the swampy inlet next to the 8th tee on NewmanGolf Course as of Saturday (6/8) at 5 pm."

--Michael Runge

"A walk in search of the Prothonotary Warbler at the North end of theNewman Golf Course produced no ProWar; however, we did get to see anadult Black-crowned Night-heron in hot pursuit by an adult maleRed-winged Blackbird."

--Chris Hymes

"I always see my first Bobolinks (still calling like R2D2 as of lastweekend)at the fields near Monkey Run..."

--Rob Scott

"David Cup total: 222 (sigh)."

--Tom Nix

"As the weather was wonderful, I decided to take a walk along South MonkeyRun from Varna side. It seemed to me amazingly quieter than last year...But best of all was a find of very tattered female Pieris virginiensisbutterfly. I could catch it with my hand to look at the markings. It is arare butterfly in Ithaca area found only in few patches. Hope a viablepopulation exists in Monkey run."

--Meena Haribal

"Although none of our views were quite crippling, many were painful andsome were partially debilitating."

--Scott Mardis

"Use my totals from May...Who has time for birding? Certainly not me, it'sFeederWatch Time."

--Diane Tessaglia

"I might be able to drag a sharp-eyed grown daughter along to help mespot things."

--Caissa Willmer

"I enjoy 'The Cup' even though I am not a participant. It makes me smileand it adds a bit of lightness to something which sometimes seems heavilycompetitive. Nice work."

--Marty Schlabach

"It was a nice, humble breeze through the Basin--tally another 34 birds tomy Basin list. Sound impressive? No, I haven't had a visit to theBasin since early May and that 34 included things like E. Kingbird,E.Towhee (yes, Casey is right, the name is now 'blah') and ChippingSparrow."

--Kurt Fox

"We had to work fairly hard for the few additions we got. Jay isdisappointed he didn't make the 200 Club this month, but he'll just have towait on the shorebirds. He did manage to pick up a life birds in June andis closing in fast on the magic 300 (he's at 291). So not a total wastelandof a month after all."

--Kevin McGowan

"What with positive feedback being the one and only coin in the volunteer'srealm, I just wanted to tell you two how much I've (remotely, enviously,voyeuristically) enjoyed reading about the David/McIlroy goings-on via yourelectronic newsletter." --Andy Leahy

"I have no total update. I'm out of the Basin for the summer."

--Dan Scheiman

"I second Ned's thoughts on The Cup. And congratulations to Allison Wellswith an outstanding month of May - does this woman do anything but bird?With 225 species in the Basin at the end of May, there's no doubt in my mindthat Ned and Adam's record of 255 species will be broken. With Karl Davidand Tom Nix hot on her heels at 220 and 219 species respectively, followedclosely by Jeff, Steve Kelling and Bard Prentiss, the competition is fierceindeed. With so many more people intently birding, there is greaterpotential for turning up those rarities that will be needed to exceed 255.Go get 'em! We observers are enjoying this as much as the participants--and seeing some birds we might not have seen otherwise as well."

--Anne Kendall-Casella

"My June totals were David 124 and McIlroy 111. You'll never catch me now!"

--Jim Lowe

"We go to zee birds, and zee birds, zay come to us."

--Casey Sutton

"Well, I guess I'm too late to be quoted in this month's issue of The Cup(PHEW!), but I do happen to remember the bird--Hermit Thrush. At thetime I thought it was pretty exciting, but of course by now, 100 speciesseems like chicken feed. I guess migration makes you greedy..."

--Anne James

"My favorite bird was the one I called the 'phantom-of-the-opera bird'[Common Yellowthroat]."

--Sarah Childs

"Last night while taking a breather from playing volleyball at LansingMiddle School, I stepped outside and noticed numerous chimney swifts flyingaround--and down into--the chimney of the school. I don't know who it wasthat recently mentioned the lack of swifts at Belle Sherman School;obviously the swifts have 'graduated' and have now 'fledged' to a school of'higher learning'!"

--Sara Jane Hymes

"This is all very interesting, but can you explain to me a little moreaboutbeing a Cupper?" --Susan Winkler (Jeff Wells' sister)

"Anyone who is a runner or competes in other individual (asopposed to team) sports knows that if you're faster in the most recent racethan you were in the last one, then you're winning. And I guess that's howI feel about the David/McIlroy competition. It's given me something towork toward, and consequently, I've been out birding more often and justplain ol' paying more and better attention to birds I see and hear. Thecompetitive side of me is embarrassed to admit that at the end of May, I wasbehind the Cup leaders by some fifty (eeeesshhh) species. But dang, I surehave learned a lot, and I'm actually quite pleased with my Basin Bird List.So, I want to take this opportunity to encourage you 'observers' tojump into the David Cup and/or McIlroy Award 'competitions.' Yea, it's June,but you can be assured that you *will* tick a greater number of speciesduring the next 6 months than will the hottest competitor out there. Andbesides, it's fun." --Martha Fischer